A BARRIER will be erected to stop travellers moving onto a Dunfermline site after complaints about the “disgusting” mess they left behind.

Fife Council will take action at the car park and recycling centre on Robertson Road in a bid to prevent any more encampments.

Bellyeoman Community Council said the area was “used as a toilet” by travellers on two separate occasions this year. The chair of the City of Dunfermline area committee, Helen Law, said, “The barrier will be big enough to allow cars in but it will stop any taller vehicles – they put one in Townhill woods a few years ago for the same reason.

“The community council were very strong on this as they, like us, were getting a lot of complaints about the travellers.

“It’s not an approved site and the mess that was left behind was beyond belief.” She continued, “The recycling centre will be moved too but with the four-bin system, it’s only really used for people with glass and there’s a glass recycling facility across the road at Lorimer Gardens. "People didn’t so much mind travellers being there but the state of the car park and surrounding area after they’d left was unbelievable.” The council’s service manager, Elaine Devine, confirmed, “We recently had a request to the environmental operations team to remove the recycling facilities at this location because of the intention to install a height restriction barrier aimed at preventing access by vans and caravans.

“This has now been done. Clearly, retaining the recycling facilities on the site is impossible because the barrier will prevent the recycling bins from being emptied.” Chair of Bellyeoman Community Council, Wilma Allday, said, “The community council has gone along with Helen on this idea as both times travellers have been there this year it was disgraceful.

"The first time they parked on the edge of the car park against the fence as there were still a lot of the council’s blue containers there.

“They used the spaces in between the containers as a toilet and the mess they left there and in the bushes – including used nappies and toilet paper etc – was disgusting.

“That was the reason we were so angry about it. If I was to go down there and dump my rubbish I’d be charged with fly-tipping but they get away with it.” She added, “The Scottish Government say they have a non-harassment policy but this is not harassment, it’s making them obey the law.

“I hope what we’re doing now will stop them coming back but they will just go somewhere else. As a community council we’re very much against them on that particular spot.”